A hurting former Interior and Local Government Secretary Ismael Sueno has accepted his fate and without rancor thanked President Duterte for getting him out of the stressful life of government service and enjoy life in his farm.

But if he did not have the chance to explain his side to the President out of shock at his relief, Sueno took the opportunity to air his side on the allegations of corruption in his last press conference at the DILG office in Quezon City yesterday morning.

Sueno categorically denied any corrupt acts insisting that Duterte fired him at the end of the Cabinet meeting based on the white paper provided to him by DILG Secretaries Jesus Hinlo, John Castriciones, and Emily Padilla.

“I would prefer that they file a case in court,” Sueno said so he can explain his side.  He, too is open to a probe.

Sueno believes the President was misinformed.

The Chief Executive admitted he was peeved at Sueno after he denied having read the DILG legal opinion which he was furnished concerning the purchase of Rossenbauer Firetrucks from Austria.

During his visit to the Western Command headquarters in Palawan yesterday, the President stood firm in his decision in firing Sueno, saying he was not misinformed about the issues hurled against the former Cabinet official.

“I could never be misinformed. Ka-abogado ko, misinformed ako?” Duterte said in a press conference.

“When I make a move, when I fire you, dyan mismo, Alam ko ang ginagawa ko,” Duterte added.

The President asserted that he would not hesitate to fire government officials even for just a “whiff of corruption.” He said there are many honest and competent people who can readily replace these erring officials.

“Maraming kapalit sa gobyerno. Hindi tayo nagkulang ng talent, bright, pati iyong honest, with integrity (We have many replacements in government. We don’t have a shortage of talent, bright, honest people, with integrity),” he added.

IN THE DARK

Sueno noted it was Hinlo who requested for the legal opinion of Malacañang concerning the transaction of the said firetrucks.

After having received a reply from Malacañang on October 26, 2016, Sueno said Hinlo never informed him about the legal opinion of the Palace and only knew of its existence when confronted by the President during the Cabinet meeting.

On the claim of the three undersecretaries on the alleged anomalous fire truck deal, Sueno said that it was not him but the late DILG secretary Jesse Robredo who signed the first Rosenbauer Firetruck Agreement for the delivery of 76 brand new firetrucks.

Sueno maintained that the government has not yet paid a single centavo for the fire trucks despite its delivery on 2013.

The ex-DILG chief said the second delivery of the fire trucks was signed on April, 2016 before he was appointed DILG secretary.

Sueno also questioned the technical knowhow of Hinlo, Castriciones, and Padilla after informing the President that the Rosenbauer Supply agreement has no imprimatur of the concerned government agencies.

The first and second supply contracts has the go-signal of the NEDA technical board, NEDA board, ICC-Cabinet committee, DOJ, DBM, Office of the President and the Department of Finance, Sueno said.

NO TRO

Upon later reading the legal opinion of Malacañang, Sueno said the Supreme Court never issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) or any kind of writ against the DILG.

Granting that Sueno signed the SARO, it is merely for booking purposes and not for the payment since it only serves as a notice that the government has a loan and is done for bookkeeping purposes.

On the accusations that the firetrucks cost P20-million each and P23-million each in the first and second contracts respectively, Sueno branded these charges as outrageous.

Under the first contract the project cost is P1.5 billion at a rate of 1 percent per annum spread out in 17.5 years maturity period inclusive of 3.5 years grace period and grant component of 61.3 percent making the value of the each fire truck at P6.7 million compared to the P7-million cost of locally made fire trucks.

On the second contract the loan component of P1.42 billion with maturity period of 23.5 years inclusive of eight year grace period with no interest will make the value of each truck to P3.88 million much lower than the P9-million cost of each locally made truck.

OFFICIAL BUSINESS

Sueno added that the President may have overlooked that he issued a special authority to Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez dated July 15, 2016, confirming and agreeing to the Rosenbauer agreement.

With this, Dominguez granted Sueno the authority to travel on October 24, 2016, allowing him to represent the Philippines to sign any document pertinent to the firetruck deal.

Sueno noted that the fire truck deal is more advantageous to the government than the local suppliers based on the letter of director-general C. Paderanga to Robredo on December 15, 2015.

In a statement, assistant Secretary Paola Alvarez of the Department of Finance (DOF) said Secretary only performed a “routine ministerial duty necessitated by the change in administration” in giving the go-ahead to the loan agreement for a project that was actually implemented exclusively by the DILG and approved in the past Aquino government.

Alvarez, the DOF spokesperson pointed out “Dominguez had no recourse but to implement the loan agreement that was sealed by his predecessor, Cesar Purisima, with the Unicredit Bank Austria AG for Phase 2 of the Capability Building Program of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) – an agency attached to the DILG – before President Duterte took over last year.”

“However, the supply contract for this project, which involves the acquisition of 76 Rosenbauer fire trucks for deployment by the BFP in priority cities nationwide, is an entirely different thing altogether that was handled solely by then-Secretary Ismael Sueno and two of his subordinates – DILG Head Executive Assistant Josephine Leysa and BFP Officer-in-Charge Chief Superintendent Bobby Baruelo – who had dealt directly and exclusively with the Unicredit Bank,” she said.

BROTHER’S HOTEL

On the alleged hotel in Marbel, South Cotabato being linked to Sueno, the former DILG chief said the property belongs to his brother Perfecto who purchased a foreclosed seven hectare property from BPI in 1988 which he converted to a hotel-resort.

On March, 2015, his brother got a P50-million loan from BPI and constructed a 40-bedroom hotel which was opened for business in September, 2016.

He said the hotel was built prior to his assumption as DILG secretary and was never a part-owner of the establishment.

Despite his relief, Sueno said he still supports Duterte “because I have seen in him the determination to fight corruption and illegal drugs.” He said his relief is not part of moves to destabilize the Duterte administration but part of Duterte’s drive against corruption.

“I hope that that this (dismissal) will sink in the minds of those in government,” Sueno said that Duterte does not tolerate corruption.

“I will still help in fighting corruption and drugs,” Sueno added, assuring that he does not hold a grudge against the President. (With a report from Genalyn D. Kabiling)

Source:
courtesy of MANILA BULLETIN

by Chito Chavez

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